University of California Irvine

Curator for the Southeast Asian Archive


The University of California, Irvine Libraries seeks a collaborative and community-oriented professional for the position of Curator for the Southeast Asian Archive in the Department of Special Collections and Archives.

Qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply. The UCI Libraries is committed to recruiting a diverse workforce and advancing UCI's Commitment to Inclusive Excellence.
Responsibilities
The Curator for the Southeast Asian Archive plays a critical role in fostering community-centered archives partnerships, developing unique research collections of lasting historical significance, and sustaining campus and community relationships. Reporting to the Head of Special Collections and Archives, the Curator serves as principal liaison to the Southeast Asian American and broader Asian American cultural heritage community, developing strong channels of communication and collaboration, and pursuing initiatives that create, preserve, and provide access to documentation of the Southeast Asian American diasporic experience. The Archive's collection is broad and interdisciplinary in documenting the social, cultural, religious, political, and economic life of Americans of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese origin.

The Curator provides leadership for development, acquisition, processing, and discoverability of special collections materials documenting the Southeast Asian American experience in all formats including archival materials, books, serials, ephemera, government documents, web sites, and oral histories. The Curator provides instruction, outreach, and research support to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, and community members whose research, teaching, communications, creative work, and learning activities benefit from engagement with the Southeast Asian Archive. Along with the Curator for Orange County Regional History and administered by the Head of the Department, the Curator guides the priorities of the Orange County & Southeast Asian Archive Center, a program and physical space for instruction and events, consultation and research support, collaboratively-curated exhibits, oral histories, and digital history projects. The Curator frequently participates in grant-funded projects and initiatives, including supervision of graduate and undergraduate students and interns.

The Curator serves as the Libraries' liaison to the UCI Department of Asian American Studies, providing specialized instruction, research consultations, outreach, and collection development supporting the information needs of the department. The Curator helps coordinate the Southeast Asian Archive Ambassadors, a group of scholars, community leaders, and affiliates identified as advocates for the distinctive resources and activities of the Southeast Asian Archive. The Curator works collaboratively with multiple library and campus stakeholders, including (within Special Collections and Archives) the Head of the Department, the Curator for Orange County Regional History, the Outreach and Public Services Librarian, the Archivist for Special Collections, and the Digital Archivist for University Archives; (within the Libraries) the Digital Scholarship Services Department, the Technical Services Department, the Director of Development, and the Communications and Events Officer; and (at UCI) the Humanities Center and the School of Humanities.
Qualifications
Required:

● A graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution, or a graduate degree in archival studies, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
● Educational background or experience sufficient to perform subject-specialized reference, instruction, collection development, and collaborative projects for the Southeast Asian Archive.
● Familiarity with archival management theory and best practices.
● Experience working with archives or using archives for scholarly research.
● Experience building relationships in diverse communities and/or nonprofit advocacy in support of marginalized populations.
● Commitment to user-centered library services and community-centered archival practice.
● Interest in and facility with learning new standards, practices, and technologies for managing library and archival materials.
● Excellent organizational and time management skills, as well as effectiveness in balancing and completing multiple assignments and projects.
● Ability to work effectively in teams and in a dynamically changing environment.
● Ability to analyze, learn, and implement evolving technologies.
● Ability to successfully train and direct the work of library assistants and student assistants.
● Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
● Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively and to promote teamwork, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness within the UCI Libraries and the campus.
● Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion.

Preferred:

● Advanced educational background in Asian American Studies.
● Proficiency in speaking and reading a Southeast Asian language, especially Vietnamese, Khmer, and/or Lao.
● Experience working effectively with donors, grant-writing, and development and/or donor relations programs.
● Experience conducting oral histories.
● Experience curating physical and digital exhibits, including narrative development, descriptive metadata or printed item labels, and mounting.
● Experience with outreach, programming, and event development and planning.
● Experience collecting print, electronic, and/or archival materials for an archives or special collections library.
● Experience providing reference, instruction, and collection development in an academic library setting.
● Experience organizing, cataloging, and describing archival and library materials and/or working with archivists and catalogers.
● Experience directing the work of students and staff.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives
UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives (SCA) serves the campus, local, and international communities by fostering curiosity and discovery through preservation, access, and education. We work to create an open atmosphere that nurtures cultural and knowledge exchange. We welcome everyone to participate and engage with our unique and rare materials. SCA houses the university's collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, ephemera, born-digital files, and other unique materials. Our holdings include university archives, critical theory, performing arts, political literature, and a growing collection of artists' books. In the Orange County & Southeast Asian Archive (OC&SEAA) Center, we lead a community-focused effort to preserve and catalog our local culture. In addition to the Head, SCA is comprised of five librarians and four library assistants. For more information about our collections, mission, vision, and values, please visit our website: https://special.lib.uci.edu/about-us.
The Southeast Asian Archive
Since the end of the Vietnam-American War in 1975 a large number of refugees and immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have come to the United States, and especially to California. The UC Irvine Libraries established the Southeast Asian Archive in 1987 in response to the community's interest in having this history documented, preserved, and made accessible. The Archive's collection is broad and interdisciplinary in documenting the social, cultural, religious, political, and economic life of Americans of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese origin.

Our goal is to surface the historical records and cultural heritage of the Southeast Asian diaspora for research, even materials not held by the UCI Libraries. We are actively engaged in and seeking ongoing non-custodial, equitable partnerships to ensure sustained preservation and access to the histories of the region, especially related to social justice and communities under-documented in the historical record. We are committed to the principles and practice of supporting community centered archives.

Strengths include materials relating to the resettlement of refugees and immigrants in the United States, refugee camp and other experiences of the boat and land refugees, and the development and progress of new ethnic communities. There is a special focus on materials pertaining to Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans in Orange County and across California. The scope of the collection is limited to documenting the diasporic communities from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos including self-identified Khmer, Hmong, Laotian, and Iu Mien Americans, as well as ethnic and cultural minorities within the diasporas. For more information about the history and growth of the SEAA, please visit: https://seaa.lib.uci.edu/.
Regional History Collections
The UCI Libraries collects materials related to Orange County, California as well as Orange County government information. Special Collections and Archives seeks to document the history of Orange County from the mission period through the present: collection strengths include urban planning and development, the Irvine Ranch and the City of Irvine, environmental issues, city histories, politics, Disneyland, surfing, LGBT history, and women in the public sphere. The Special Collections and Archives collections include photographs, family papers, organizational records, maps, postcards, newspapers, government documents, books, serials, and ephemera.
The UCI Libraries
At the heart of the University of California, Irvine's academic community, the UCI Libraries plays a vital role in enabling our outstanding students, faculty and researchers to create new knowledge, develop lifelong learning skills, and make meaningful contributions to society. We value innovation and collaboration, and we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. See our Diversity Statement and Plan, https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/diversity-statement-and-plan.

The Libraries' physical spaces consist of the Langson Library, the Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library (located at the UCI Medical Center in Orange, CA). These locations provide a welcoming and technology enhanced environment valued by students as places for study, research, and collaboration. Together they contain over 3,300 public seats, over 500 public access computers, laptop computers for checkout, and a wide range of multimedia resources including 3D printers. The library collection consists of over 4.3 million volumes, 254,000 journals and serial titles, and an ever-expanding collection of electronic books, databases, and other resources. As part of the University of California system, the UCI Libraries collaborates closely with the other nine UC campus libraries and the California Digital Library (CDL). Our public website, https://www.lib.uci.edu/, is a portal to access e-resources; discover print, archival, and multi-media collections; and connect with reference and instructional services. It also includes cutting edge digital tools and tutorials and numerous subject specific research guides created by subject specialists.

The UCI Libraries employs approximately 140 full-time librarians and staff and many part-time student assistants. We strongly support the professional development of librarians and staff throughout their careers.

The UCI Libraries are a member of the: Association of Research Libraries (ARL), HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries (CRL), Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), Digital Library Federation (DLF), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), National Information Standards Organization (NISO), and OCLC Research Library Partnership (OCLC RLP).
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles and located on the homelands of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/land-acknowledgement. Founded in 1965, UCI has over 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 1,800 faculty and staff. Nearly 67% of UCI students identify themselves as Asian American, African American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. Over 50% of UCI's bachelor's degrees are awarded to first generation college students. The University is committed to serving students from all backgrounds as demonstrated by UCI's Black Thriving Initiative, https://inclusion.uci.edu/uci-black-thriving-initiative/, and its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and a Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), https://inclusion.uci.edu/msi/. The New York Times ranks UCI as the #1 college doing the most for the American Dream, and U.S. News and Report ranks UCI among the top ten public universities in the nation. The University offers graduate degrees in more than 100 academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. and J.D.

Salary & Benefits: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience based on the University of California pay scales. Appointment is anticipated to be at the Assistant or Associate Librarian rank with a salary of $58,365 - $87,043.

Librarians are entitled to two days per month of annual leave, thirteen paid holidays, and one day per month sick leave. The University has an excellent retirement system and offers a variety of group health, life, and disability insurance plans. Benefits are equal to approximately 45% of salary.

Librarians at UCI are academic appointees. Non-managerial librarians are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This is a represented position.

As academic appointees, UCI Librarians receive potential career status at the time of their initial appointment. Librarians periodically receive administrative and peer review for merit increases based on the following criteria: 1) professional competence and quality of service within the Library; 2) professional activity outside the Library; 3) university and public service; and 4) research and other creative activity.

Consideration will be given to applicants with a wide range of years of experience, including qualified early career librarians.

Deadline for Applications: Applications received by June 12, 2022 will receive first consideration.

To Apply: Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should submit the information requested: cover letter; complete resume; a statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a list of three references (names and contact information only) via UCI AP Recruit at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF07498.

Upon application, candidates should be in possession of proof of their legal right to employment in the U.S. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, verification of legal right to work will be required between the time of final selection and hiring and is absolutely essential in ultimately being hired.

This position description is listed on the UCI Libraries web site at https://www.lib.uci.edu/current-librarian-and-administrative-vacancies with links to additional web sites featuring campus and community information.


To apply, visit https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF07498





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